Project Week

No formal classes - just 5 days of dedicated studio, rehearsal, creating  time.

Project week is part of our approach at Bradfield to providing innovative teaching and learning which enables students to develop an understanding of the creative design process, group collaboration, the way we behave in groups, and creating connections.

For the third year, Bradfield students are creating an event for the Vivid Sydney festival. This year on Thursday 7 June, Year 11 will stage a multi-modal exhibition exploring Sydney’s hidden stories about people, land and spirit. The New Creatives: Hidden in Plain View .

Project week creates space and opportunity for students to plan, create and make. The whole college operates as a workplace and students take responsibility for their part in the whole project. This is an important part of project based learning  where students take ideas that have been part of brainstorming, start to create prototypes and receive feedback to refine their project outcomes

Students have already applied and interviewed for project roles and are organised under themes and skill sets within the overarching theme of Hidden in Plain View. Students are exploring stories about Aboriginal history in Sydney, the way landscapes have been transformed, intergenerational stories from our aged care community, the hidden voices of youth and coming out stories from the LGBTQI community.

We’re capturing the magical moments of the week. There has already been some profound growth and learning - both for individuals and the group.  A yarning circle with Kylie, Clint and Pauline, Aboriginal Coordinators from TAFE NSW, provided some deep insight into Aboriginal culture as well as the way that we interact together. From this magical moment, all meetings at Bradfield are now yarning circles - where everybody is a part of the circle, we slow down, respect each other’s stories and the circle and also learn to embrace silence. We’re looking forward to seeing the responses of our students who were present as well.

Receiving feedback is a significant part of this process for students. Parents, carers, community and industry came to our Vivid Ideas Project Week Check-in on Friday 13 April. Tim Chappel (costume designer from Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Paul Bianco (sound engineer), and Paul Irish (historian and author of Hidden in Plain View) attended and worked with students to discuss their progress, suggest improvements and consider the final product.

11.00-11.45am  
Each project group gave a formal presentation of project progress to an audience of 200.

12.00-1.30pm
Each project group held a mini exhibition of their work to date in their work spaces. Visitors talked with each project group about their progress and provided feedback about their work to date.